Bear Hunt

I am going on a Bear Hunt in Maine in Early September and need a Recommendation on Rifle selection.

I have narrowed my selection down to the Remington 700 BDL in Stainless Steel with the Black Composite Stock BUT I am Unsure as to the Caliber I should Purchase. I want to select a Large Enough Caliber to get the job done and yet not kill my own shoulder when I want to play with shot groups at the rifle range.

I thought that a 30-06 would be Good but my Dealer said he thought that I would need a Larger Caliber to get the job done.

Are there any Hunters out there with their own views???????

Please Post a response!!!!!!!!!!!

I am a New Hunter and want to purchase a GOOD over all Rifle to play with and to do some Serious Hunting with........... Bear, Deer, Moose etc.

assuming you are going for black bear a 30-06 with 180gr failsafes would be a decent choice. info here

if you want some more gusto i would suggest a .300 winmag still staying with the 180gr failsafes info here

i know people who have taken bear with both. i was told about the failsafe round and have tested it myself and the steel insert does give better penetration. i think that could really come into play if you end up striking a large bone inside a bear.

I hunt Maine every year, and believe me a 30-06 is more than enough. I personally dont like the 06, and use 270s almost exclusively. If I were going bear hunting as well as needing a versital rifle, I would look at 7mm08, 308, 30-06, 270, 280. Forget the mags, they will cross your eyes. I would also look at a 45-70. It packs a wallop, but it doesnt kick the same as the high speed rifles. If you get one heavy enough, you wont feel much more than a 12 gauge recoil, and when bear hunting you are in a stand so the weight wont be a big factor.
I am also going bear hunting this year in maine (before my deer hunting), so maybe I will see you up there. Will be near greenville.

An option I initially shied away from is the 220gr softpoint (Federal Classic) in .30-06. I currently shoot a cut-down 03-A3 with a very light synthetic stock.
I REALLY like the FailSafe design, but off the bench, the 220gr rounds actually seem to kick LESS than the 150-180gr offerings (FailSafe and others)....and the 220gr will yield good brush-bucking power; plenty for black bear inside 100yds.
If there was a 220gr .30cal FailSafe round/bullet, well I'd be happy a clam!
Check out Kifaru.net for some excellent, practical advice on rifles for bear and general woods use.

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Singled out, and called to arms to defend what they hold dearest, the number of truly evil people would be small. The number of truly good people, even smaller....those too afraid, too weak or too ill-prepared to fight would be countless.

Took my last bear in Maine with a 91/2" Super Redhawk and 265 grn. softpoints. Dressed out at 310 lbs. Didn't have any problem.
The '06 is more than enough for Maine bear. 20 and 12 Ga. slugs work just fine also.

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